PURPOSE: This rule provides definitions of terms in addition to those found in Chapter 115, RSMo for the conduct of elections.

1. (1) Election authority shall mean the county clerk or board of election commissioners. The election authority shall be the chief custodian of the electronic voting system and its components and shall be responsible for the proper maintenance and all necessary preparation for elections. The election authority is authorized to appoint as many custodians as deemed necessary and is permitted by law.
2. (2) Electronic voting system is a system of casting votes by use of marking devices, and counting votes by use of automatic tabulating or electronic data processing equipment.
3. (3) Automatic tabulating equipment shall mean a system consisting of a mechanical or photoelectric ballot card reader, or both, an electronic central processing unit and visually readable tabulated results of the voters’ markings on the ballot card. Integral to the system is a capacity to determine the number of ballots processed and the votes cast on each candidate and each ballot question by precinct, jurisdiction total and any other needed total such as ward or township. Absentee totals shall be determinable.
4. (4) Program shall mean the prepared election computer program or the section of the computer program that contains the information for the particular election being tabulated. Additionally the term shall extend to all programs in the system including, but not limited to, system software, utilities software and compilers, which may be used during the operation of the application software which tabulates the ballots. The program may be stored on cards, tapes, discs, integrated circuits or other electronic, magnetic, optical or paper storage media.
5. (5) Ballot card is a ballot which is voted by making a punch or sensor mark which can be tabulated by automatic tabulating equipment. All types of automatic or electronic system ballots shall be known as ballot cards regardless of size or stock thickness.
6. (6) Ballot label is the card, paper, booklet, page or other material containing the names of all offices, candidates and questions to be voted on.
7. (7) Systems which use a single unit for the ballot card and the ballot label shall conform to the rules for both.

AUTHORITY: section 115.225, RSMo 1986.* Original rule filed March 31, 1972, effective April 14, 1972. Emergency rescission filed Oct. 5, 1982, effective Nov. 2, 1982. Emergency rule filed Oct. 5, 1982, effective Nov. 2, 1982, expired Feb. 2, 1983. Rescinded and readopted: Filed Oct. 5, 1982, effective Feb. 11, 1983. Amended: Filed Dec. 15, 1986, effective Feb. 28, 1987.

*Original authority: 115.225, RSMo 1977.